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Disclaimers: While I do not own these characters, I do enjoy taking them out to play occasionally. This story may not fall strictly within the canon of the original series, especially The Pretender. At times, I like my world much better. As always, comments are welcome.
The Glow
By TheGreyOwl
It was a beautiful spring day; balmy temperatures and clear skies had combined to create that elusive "perfect" afternoon. Amanda Darieux could not resist the impulse inspired by the weather. She had the top off her small British sports car and was speeding down a backcountry lane, the wind whipping through her hair. The sheer exhilaration of the moment had caused Amanda to ignore prudence and she was now travelling well above the posted speed limit. Her small sports car darted around curves and roared down the straight-aways, gaining a bit more speed with each passing mile. 60 ... 70 ... 80 miles per hour as she sailed around one more blind curve, her tires singing with the lateral stresses induced by the high-speed turn. The flash of a sign momentarily distracted Amanda and when she looked back forward, all she could see was the back of the large transport truck stalled in front of her.
There was no time for anything. The car slammed into the back of the truck at 83 miles per hour. Amanda was thrown forward, breaking both legs as she was ejected upwards from her seat. Her unconscious body was hurled through the sports car's windshield and then through the thin panel doors of the rig's trailer, smashing into the 55-gallon drums stacked within, causing several to burst and splash their contents over Amanda's shattered body and the inside of the trailer. The crumpled frame of the car continued under the truck, compressing the car's body and rupturing the fuel tank. Gasoline spread out under the wreckage until a stray spark from metal set the pool of fuel aflame. The fire from the burning car soon reached the spilled liquids within the trailer and those liquids began to burn with a soft blue flame like the jellied fuel used in chaffing dishes. The glow of the flames illuminated the warning labels on all the drums, labels containing words like Biohazard and Radiation.
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The first official vehicle on the scene was a state police car. The trooper took one look at the fully involved trailer rig and called the fire in to his dispatcher. Noting the hazardous material placards on the trailer, he also asked for the state HAZMAT response team. As he spoke on the radio, the trooper noticed the approach of a man from down the road. When the man identified himself as the driver and handed over the truck's manifests, the trooper knew their problems had just started.
When the state police supervisory unit parked behind his cruiser, the trooper got out and walked back. "Sir, we have a major problem. This truck is hauling both biohazards and radioactive wastes. God knows why there was no escort but we will need some serious assistance with this."
The supervisor picked up his radio microphone and contacted the nearest state trooper barracks. "This is supervisor 19. Initiate your emergency response checklist for a Wildfire scenario stage seven. I repeat...Wildfire scenario stage seven."
"Supervisor 19, copy your call. Wildfire scenario stage seven alert initiated."
As he hung up the microphone, he said, "Now we just have to wait for help."
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Help initially arrived in the form of the fire department followed by a state HAZMAT response vehicle. After talking with the state HAZMAT coordinator, the fire chief was told to contain the fire and keep it from spreading but not to spray water on the materials in the truck. Control of the fire had to be done with special foams, which were being brought from another agency.
About 30 minutes after the initiation of the Wildfire Scenario, several large transport helicopters bearing US Army markings on their olive drab fuselages flew over the site. When they set down in an adjacent field, the personnel deploying were wearing environmental suits with rebreather packs. They approached the burning truck with an assortment of monitoring devices, including radiation detectors as well as various chemical sampling papers used to detect standard chemical warfare compounds. One of the team finally came over to the assembled official vehicles. As he approached the group, he was listening to reports from the others over his headset. He held up his hand to forestall any questions as he listened to the final reports, then he unfastened and pulled his helmet off his head.
"Okay, here's the good news. The radiation leakage is all localized. It does not register beyond 50 yards from the site. The chemical tests are likewise very restricted. We will not have to evacuate the surrounding communities."
The assembled group collectively breathed a sigh of relief; the spectre of evacuation had hovered over their heads since the incident had begun. The roar of another larger helicopter that came to a hover over the burning truck drowned the army officer's next words. They all turned to watch as a deluge of liquid cascaded from it, expanding into a thick blanket of foam. The foam smothered the flaming remains of the trailer and cab, finally ending the black oily smoke plume. "My team will enter the trailer to ascertain what we need to do next to wrap this up."
The army team carefully entered the back of the trailer once it had cooled down. All of the barrels within had been twisted and distorted by the heat of the fire, and all markings had been expunged by the combination of fire and the chemical extinguisher. The interior floor was coated in a green gel that seemed to glow with some type of soft iridescence. There was no telling what combination of illegal toxins was contained within the substance. Samples were taken and sealed in biohazard containers, which were then sealed in large radiation-proof containers. As the team cast their lights about within the depths of the trailer, their lights fell upon the prone body of Amanda Darieux.
"Control, we have a body in here. It appears to be the driver of the car."
The team leader knelt beside the body and touched the arm. It was all he could do not to scream when Amanda Darieux groaned and moved, her eyes glowing in the same soft green as the gelid toxins coating her battered body.
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Amanda Darieux was taken to the Level IV biohazard research hospital at Fort Detrick in Maryland, which is home to USAMRIID, the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Disease. Medical teams in level IV biohazard "moon suits" examined her for physical injuries after she was thoroughly decontaminated. Hampered by the heavy radiation as well as the need for the most extreme biohazard cautions, care was painstakingly slow. Since her body had already absorbed such a heavy dose of radiation, X-ray plates where merely placed underneath her body and exposed by the radiation she was emitting. The results of those films were surprising; there were no broken bones. Despite the trauma her body had been through, there seemed to be no corresponding injuries, nor was there any sign of internal damage; in fact, all her injuries seemed almost superficial. The bruising on her body was visibly fading and her vital signs had steadied at what textbooks describe as the statistical norms. Within a few hours, even the radiation seemed to have vanished from her system. The only remaining abnormality was the green glow within her eyes.
Elsewhere, teams of specialists were attempting to breakdown the green witch's brew of radioactive toxins. The lethality of the material was horrendous. One drop was enough to kill instantaneously. There appeared to be no diminishment in its power over time. Every test they ran came to the inescapable conclusion that there was no treatment possible after exposure to the stuff because it was 100 percent lethal in seconds. Why then Amanda Darieux still alive?
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"Ms. Darieux, I am Doctor Andrews," said the imposing figure clad in the uniform of an Army Brigadier General. "I am in charge of the team of doctors and other specialists that have been trying to understand what has happened to you and what its possible impact will be on your future."
"Look, General, I have been cooperative. I have been poked, prodded, examined, tested, x-rayed, scanned, and a lot of other procedures I'd just as soon forget. No one tells me anything, but I know that I feel fine. In fact, I feel better than fine. I feel the best I have ever felt."
"I know that, Ms. Darieux, but we don't know why you are fine. You were badly hurt in that accident and you were exposed to what should have been a lethal combination of radioactive wastes and bioharzardous materials. Yet here you are, without so much as a bruise. There is no trace of any damage to you from either the accident or the exposure."
"And that's good, right? Since there is nothing wrong, I can leave here, right?"
"Well, we really need to understand what has happened, Ms. Darieux." Seeing the rebellious expression on his patient's face, he added, "Just a few more tests."
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There was no doubt in Amanda's mind that a few more tests amounted to an indeterminate sentence. Government agencies were the same everywhere. Once they had you on their turf, they felt like they could make up the rules as they went along. What she needed was to get out of here. Escape from this place was going to be almost impossible. She knew the door was locked and that the only place she was reasonably sure there was no video surveillance was in the bathroom. She got up from her bed and moved over to the bathroom, hearing the wall-mounted video camera whir as it panned to keep her in sight. She closed the door and leaned against the counter, letting her forehead rest against the cool of the plate glass mirror.
[What I need is to be invisible.] Amanda thought to herself as she stood there. [That's the only way I will ever escape this place.] When Amanda opened her eyes and stood straight, she stared in astonishment at her reflection. Her image was slowly fading, as if the color was being drained away, everywhere except her eyes, which were now glowing in a vivid iridescent green color. Slowly her image became less distinct until all that remained were her eyes and then they too began to fade away. Now, no matter how hard she strained to see, there was no reflection in the mirror except for the hospital pajamas she was wearing. Quickly shedding them, Amanda could not detect any trace of his presence. [Well, I'll be damned---I'm the Invisible Man! Wait till Mac gets a load of this! This promises to be fun. But first, let's get the hell out of Dodge.]
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When the security guard monitoring Amanda Darieux's room noted that room was vacant and the bathroom door was still closed after an excessive amount of time, he still hesitated over sounding an alarm. After all, maybe the lady was just sitting on the throne but then he thought that perhaps she was sick; after all, according to the rumor mill she'd been exposed to some bad stuff so he contacted the Nurses station. The nurse appeared on the monitor moments later and knocked on the door to the bathroom. When there was no response, she opened the door and entered the bathroom. She came back out holding the abandoned pajamas in her hand, looked up at the video camera and shook her head from side to side. As soon as she had come back out, the guard in the monitor room was on the hotline to the Provost Marshall's office. "Sir, this is lab 12. Amanda Darieux has disappeared."
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Amanda stood in the bathtub as the guards milled around her room. Once the general made his appearance, they all left the room to begin the search for their missing patient. She patiently followed along behind them as they walked down the hall, sliding quickly through the electronically controlled doors before they closed. Once they left the confines of the lab building, she moved away from the group towards the perimeter fence and the gate to freedom. As she watched the operation of the gates, she was grateful for the balmy weather. While she didn't mind strolling about in the buff and wasn't cold, her bare feet hurt from the gravel on the roadway. Could the Invisible Woman get sunburned? Finally, a departing vehicle drove up to the inner gate, which opened to let it enter the sally port. Amanda walked in behind it, waited while the guards searched the truck, and then climbed into the bed of the pickup. When the outer gate opened, Amanda rode way to freedom.
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"Authorities have expanded their search for Amanda Darieux, a patient who wandered away from a medical facility in Maryland earlier this week. Ms. Darieux was involved in a vehicle accident a month ago and was exposed to some chemical agents. While there is no threat to public safety, Ms. Darieux is still under observation. If you have any information, please contact your local health department or the police." At the first mention of Amanda's name, Duncan's head swiveled around to stare at the television above the bar. While various authorities had wanted Amanda in the past, it was never for such a reason. Usually it was the police after a string of burglaries. Since Amanda was an Immortal, Duncan knew she was not injured. There was obviously more that met the eye to the search for Amanda. [Now, where would Amanda go? Here, of course.]
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"Miss Parker, you need to see this," Broots called as she strode past the doorway to Broots' office. She sighed her characteristic exasperation at the cyberist, and then turned into his doorway.
"What? This had better be worth bothering me."
Broots pointed his finger at the monitor, replaying the news broadcast. "Isn't that one of those, you know, Immortals, that helped end the Sweeper war?"
She stared at the still image taken of Amanda, vividly recalling their adventure in Europe rescuing Megan Carson and Nightwind from the hands of Carlos Castalanos, the European member of the Triumvirate - who also happened to be another Immortal - and then using the Immortals to end the Sweeper War between Castalonos and her father, a war that had been triggered by Nightwind's assassination of the Asian member of Triumvirate, Xiao Xiang. That trip had also opened her eyes and her heart to Jared, making Parker realize just how deeply she cared about the errant Pretender.
"Doctor Raines also saw this broadcast. Apparently she escaped from Fort Detrick in Maryland after surviving some kind of horrible accident involving both biotoxins and radiation. Raines called in some favors and now the Centre has been tasked to find and capture her for study."
Miss Parker's eyes grew cold and icy as she thought about Amanda in the hands of Doctor Raines. She doubted the depth of his recent so-called conversion to faith; he'd spent too much of his life as a mad scientist to be trusted with Amanda. Without a word, she turned and left. She went quickly to her office, her long legs eating up the distance as her mind churned over the probabilities. She knew she had to make some calls, starting with one to a certain jazz bar in Seacouver, Washington.
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"Joe's Bar, Dawson speaking." Joe was in early, doing his paperwork and making sure the necessary forms and taxes were sent to the state. Being a small business owner was a real pain sometimes. But then, the club was more than just a business to Joe. It was a labor of love. He normally ignored the telephone but only his friends would have expected him to be in this early. The voice on the other end stopped him cold.
"This is Parker. We need to talk. Amanda is in trouble - Centre kind of trouble. Can someone come to Delaware immediately?"
Joe thought for a moment and said, "Someone will be there tonight, Parker. Where can we reach you?" After writing down Parker's cellphone number, Joe thanked her for calling and then they disconnected. Joe made a call to Duncan MacLeod and to Methos, asking them both to come to the bar immediately.
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Amanda walked down the departure tunnel, approaching the train with a determined expression on her face. She needed to get on board and find something warm to put one. Sure, being invisible seemed like it would be a lot of fun at first but not when it was 40 degrees. She was freezing her assets off!
She slipped aboard the first open railcar and worked her way to the porter's station, where she overheard two porters discussing the light load and the fact that stateroom 27 was still closed for repairs. Amanda wandered down the corridor, slipping past the other passengers, trying to avoid any inadvertent contact that could give her away. She bit down hard on her lip to keep from screaming when a large woman carrying a Pekinese stepped solidly on Amanda's toes. She limped down the last of the corridor and tried the door to stateroom 27. Locked. She leaned back against the door, watching the other people eddy around her, as she thought about how to get into the stateroom. [Here I am, the world's greatest invisible thief. I should be able to open this cheesy door in under a minute if I only had the right tools.] Seeing an approaching porter, Amanda slipped behind the man and deftly removed his passkey from the chain on his belt, dropping it to the carpeted floor in case anyone saw it happen. Once assured there was no one looking, Amanda scooped up the passkey, unlocked the stateroom door, and then dropped the key to the floor once again. She quickly moved inside the stateroom and closed the door.
The first thing that caught Amanda's eye was the empty space where the upper sleeping berth should have been. Obviously, there had been a problem and that was why the stateroom was closed for repair. Unless the train filled and there was a single that needed a solo berth, this stateroom should provide her with a safe haven all the way across the country.
Amanda opened the storage compartment under the remaining sleeping berth and removed a thick, warm blanket that she wrapped around her shivering form. [Once I get warm, I need to find some clothes. Then I can start to think about getting something to eat and drink.] The sudden shift of the floor under her feet announced the imminent departure of the train. [What? No "all aboard" call? How disappointing!] Amanda sat down on the window settee and watched as the train moved out of the station. Her attention was captured by a group of lean young men in suits who were scanning the crowd and watching the train. [Why do I think they are looking for me?]
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Duncan and Methos entered the bar and sat down at the table across from Joe. Joe explained about his call from Parker and said that, while the Centre did not seem to have Amanda yet, Parker was worried that could change. Duncan was adamant that he would not leave Seacouver in case Amanda did, in fact, come there for help. Methos said he'd be happy to go see the icy Miss Parker once again and if the Amanda did fall into the clutches of the Centre, he'd be happy to cut her free again. He then called the local airport to hire a plane for Delaware, setting his departure within the hour.
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Amanda, warm at last and rested from her brief nap, decided the time had come to find something to wear. She slipped out of the stateroom and moved along the corridor. Seeing a woman about her same size, she followed the woman to another stateroom. Slipping in behind the woman, she hid to one side of the tiny room while the woman prepared to go out again. Once the woman had departed, Amanda quickly pulled open the woman's suitcase. As she looked through the contents, she slowly returned to visibility. Selecting a nice pair of wool slacks, a cashmere sweater, socks and some loafers, Amanda quickly dressed. She passed on taking any undergarments - the idea of wearing someone else's made her skin crawl. Running her fingers through her close cropped hair, Amanda decided she was as ready as she could be. Taking one last look through the woman's bag, Amanda noted a small envelope tucked into a shoe. Opening the envelope, she found a stash of hundred dollar bills. Pocketing two of the bills, Amanda also made note of the woman's name and address, fully intending to return her borrowed clothes and the cash. Easing open the door and making sure no one was about, Amanda left the room behind her and went to the dining car.
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The ringing of her cellphone interrupted Parker's train of thought, which had been wondering where Jared was and when they could be together again. When they had parted in Paris, neither realized it would be so hard to get back together again. Centre business, involving the restructuring of the activities devastated during the Sweeper War, had occupied her more that she had expected. The Triumvirate had once again returned to a troika, replacing the Asian member with someone from within the Peoples Republic of China. Things were slowly returning to what passed for normal in the Centre, and the ringing of her private cellphone made her heart race in anticipation. Was it Jared or was it one of the Immortals?
"Parker"
"Ah, the beautiful Miss Parker, this is your OLD friend Adam," Methos said, using his alias. "It has been too long."
"Adam, how nice to hear your voice."
Parker's rich voice sent a thrill along Methos' spine. [Damn, why did this woman have to be attached to the Pretender? She was lively enough to be interesting and lovely enough to...] Methos banished that line of thought and asked whether she would be free for dinner as he would be in her area that afternoon. After setting up a time and place to meet, Methos asked whether she'd heard anything of their mutual friend the thief.
Parker understood he was asking is there had been any news about Amanda, although she really did not understand the reference. "No, I have not heard any news on that end at all."
"No matter. I'll see you this evening." Methos said, and after disconnecting the call, wondered for the upteenth time that day what Amanda was up to.
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Amanda, still clad in her purloined garments, sat once again on the settee in the incomplete stateroom, gazing out the window at the station platform as the train pulled through yet another city on its was West. She had not been in Chicago in a long time so she was eagerly looking out at the passing landmarks, drinking in the sights. As the train came to a stop, she found herself face-to-face with yet another lean, young man in a suit-this one holding a facsimile photograph of Amanda. His eyes widened in surprise as he found himself looking right at his quarry at a distance less than five feet.
Amanda ducked back but it was too late. The man spoke into a small microphone concealed at his wrist and then ran to board the railcar. Amanda quickly willed herself invisible and pulled off the borrowed cloths, shoving them into the cabinet. She then scrambled up into the vacant cabinet designed to house the upper berth only moments before the stateroom door crashed open.
The sweeper stopped in the doorway, his eyes darting around the apparently empty stateroom. The porter came up behind him, demanding an explanation for the sweeper's actions. Flashing Amanda's picture at the porter and announcing that he was a federal agent, the sweeper said, "I just saw this woman through the window of this stateroom."
"But, Officer, this stateroom is closed for repairs. There was no one using it the entire trip."
"It was this room, all right. I recall seeing the big empty hole there on the wall." He said, pointing at the empty space for the sleeper berth. He reached over and opened the remaining sleeper berth, his handgun extended. Empty. He opened the larger upright closet but it too was empty.
"As you can see, Officer, there is no one here. Please, we must get the train started." He insisted on pulling the sweeper out of the compartment, securely locking the door behind them. Amanda could hear them arguing as the porter escorted the sweeper from the railcar. She watched as the man raced back to the window, peering in as if to catch a glimpse of her once more. As the train started to move away from the Chicago station, she knew she would have to be very careful from that moment forward. Careful - and invisible.
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"Miss Parker, a call just came in for Doctor Raines. A sweeper agent at the Chicago office says he saw Amanda Darieux at the train station this afternoon. He tried to catch her but she vanished without any explanation. Doctor Raines has alerted agents all along the route of the train to watch out for her." Broots informed Miss Parker over her cellphone, interrupting the quiet dinner she was enjoying with Methos.
She still found the idea that he was over 5,000 years old hard to reconcile with his youthful appearance. It was only the expression in his eyes that made her feel the crush of his experience, a profound sadness combined with a sardonic attitude of expectation as if waiting for whatever idiocy the human race came up with next. His Old World charm asserted itself at odd moments, such as rising to his feet when she'd joined him at the table and helping her to her chair. The touch of his hand on her elbow sent a jolt of electricity through her. She found herself wondering what he would be like as a lover, what secrets he could teach her. Shaking her head to break the spell of his eyes, she explained to him the import of the call from Broots.
"Ah, yes, the nervous computer specialist. Another victim of yours, Miss Parker."
"Victim? What do you mean by that?"
"Your Mr. Broots is another one in love with you, Parker, but he knows you are unattainable. If there is nothing else constant in mankind, it is the male's deep attraction to powerful women, especially beautiful ones. There is absolutely nothing that man would not do for you." Methos took a sip of his beer and then continued, "Jared, of course, loves you very much; there is no denying that. Sydney seems to think of you as the daughter that he never had, much as Jared is his surrogate son. He, too, would go to any length to make you happy."
Even as Parker spoke up to deny his statements, a part of her acknowledged the truth. She knew the way they felt and she had used the power it gave her to further her own agenda, usually without any thought about their feelings. She knew she could abuse poor Broots and he would still be there when she needed his talents. And while Sydney may have thought of her as a daughter, she'd come to rely on the older man in ways she'd never trusted her father. It was only her own reluctance to part with her own sense of independence that kept her from reaching out to Sydney more often. Her affair with Jared had cracked that armored shell-maybe it was time to reach out with friendship to these other men in her life.
"Is it the years that give you such wisdom or the accumulated experience?" she asked Methos, her tone sarcastic and biting, trying to distract from the truth of his observations.
"It's the mileage, my dear, the mileage. You have absolutely no idea just how much mileage."
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Amanda was ready now when the train came into the Seacouver station. She placed her small bag of clothes and shoes on an unattended luggage cart and then waited, invisible, for the cart to be moved down to the station. Once the porter started pulling it, she fell in behind the cart, letting it make her pathway through the crowds. She could see more waiting agents and police, all looking the crowd over while holding her picture in their hand.
Once the porter pulled the cart through the exterior station doors, she slipped her bag off the cart and into the shadows. Using a lull in pedestrian traffic, she slipped away from the station, hoping no one saw the small bag floating in the air. After travelling for several blocks, each farther into the heart of the town, Amanda finally decided to take a chance. She slipped into a dark alley and donned the sweater and slacks, slipping her feet into the warm socks and loafers. Dressed, she allowed herself to become visible again, startling a homeless man that had been lying in the dark watching the mysterious floating clothes. As he started to shout about ghosts materializing in the alleyway, she quickly moved away. Hailing a cab, she headed for the safest place she knew...Duncan's dojo.
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Duncan was downstairs in the dojo, practicing. As he stepped through the various movements and disciplines, his mind became aware of the sensory buzz that was caused by the presence of another Immortal. His eyes scanned the room but he could not see anything. The sensation remained and his grip tightened on the ancient katana on his hands. He moved slowly to the stairs, moving silently up to the second floor apartment he'd recently left, ready to defend himself from whoever had penetrated his home.
He moved slowly into the apartment, his back never very far from the walls. His inner senses told him there was another immortal there but he could not see anyone. Suddenly he felt a blunt poke in his side but there was nothing there. As he moved further into the room, a hand brush his face but it moved away before he could catch it. "What the hell is going on here?" Duncan muttered as he searched for some sign of the intruder. His eyes widened as he watched a coffee cup rise from the sideboard and then drift slowly across the kitchen to the table. "Nice parlor trick! Since I don't believe in ghosts, why don't you show yourself?" A soft musical chuckle filled the room. "Amanda, I should have known. Come out, come out, wherever you are," Duncan chanted as he put his katana aside and sat in his easy chair. In his centuries as an Immortal, nothing had prepared him for the sight of Amanda slowly began to appear, sitting on the sofa, naked and smiling, her eyes a soft lambent green.
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"So there I was, naked as the day I was born, riding along in the back of this truck, getting windburn on my chest. As soon as the truck pulled up to a stop sign, I slipped out and away. I snatched a flowered housedress from a clothesline in a backyard and then went into a shed. I put on the housedress and then closed my eyes to concentrate on being visible again." She laughed at bit ruefully. "You'll never know how frightened I was that I wouldn't be able to reverse it or how happy I was to be visible again, even in that ugly dress. I slipped aboard a Seacouver bound Amtrak train by being invisible, scrounging food and drinks when folks weren't looking. Now, I recall leaving some of my clothes here so let me get presentable." As she walked past Duncan, she smiled over her bare shoulder, "Want to wash my back?"
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Methos was chatting with MacLeod on his cellphone when Parker's cellphone rang again. "What!" she snapped as she flipped the phone open, activating the connection.
"They have found her. She's gone to a martial arts dojo in Seacouver, Washington. An agent spotted her as she slipped inside. The agent contacted his partners and the dojo is sealed off." Broots told her rapidly, his tone nervous and furtive. Parker looked over to Methos. "Tell Duncan to get out! The Centre has found them."
As Methos spoke into his phone, the crash of a ram taking the door and the shouts of the law enforcement agents entering the dojo apartment echoing in the headset told Methos he was too late.
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Amanda was lying beside Duncan in bed, savoring the afterglow, half-listening to Duncan's conversation with Methos. A small creak of the stairs alerted her just seconds before the ram crashed into the apartment door, smashing it open and permitting the entrance of the heavily armed sweepers dressed as SWAT officers. Their shouts of "Police, Freeze!" were all that saved the first sweeper in after the explosive crash of the door. Duncan had katana in hand and was spinning to attack when the words registered. Unfortunately, the sweepers could see a man moving with a sword and they opened fire. Five different rounds hit Duncan in the chest, killing him.
"Duncan!" Amanda screamed. As Amanda rushed at her fallen lover, another agent shot her with a tranquilizer dart, hitting her in the breast just above her heart. She collapsed atop Duncan's still form.
"Control, this is team six. Suspect has been taken. One accomplice was terminated."
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Straining to hear over the still-open connection, Methos heard the gunfire and then heard the chilling words of the team leader. He turned to Parker, "They have Amanda and have "killed" Duncan. We need to prepare to rescue her once we find out where they take her."
Parker spoke into her cellphone, "Broots, make sure you keep tabs on that sweeper team. And I want to know what they do with the body of Duncan MacLeod."
Methos called Joe at the bar, explained what had just happened, and sent Joe over to the dojo to see if he could follow the sweepers until they dumped Duncan's body. Joe would be needed when Duncan resurrected.
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The docks of Seacouver's port were deserted and still as the black van drove in and onto one of the finger piers. Two men moved quickly to the back of the vehicle and pulled out a heavy bundle. They staggered over to the edge of the pier and then threw the bundle into the dark oily waters, the heavy chains weighing it down enough to make it submerge quickly, leaving no trace of its passage to the muck at the bottom of the harbor. The men then climbed back into the vehicle and drove away.
Joe Dawson waited until they had gone and then drove to the spot from where the bundle had been thrown. He stopped his car and waited. A light splash was his first warning. He reached into the back of the car, picked up a thick towel and, when Duncan's head appeared up the ladder on the side of the pier, tossed it to the angry Immortal. "Get in the car, Mac, and let's get going." As Duncan entered his friend's car, his anger had coalesced into a white-hot orb. This time the Centre would pay heavily.
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Another Immortal had reached the same conclusion. When told by Methos about the shooting of Duncan and kidnapping of Amanda, Conner MacLeod said, "They can't say they weren't warned. I'll be there by morning."
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Parker closed her eyes, trying to fall asleep despite the fear she felt for the next morning. There was no doubt in her mind that the Immortals would leave an even greater object lesson this time. She remembered when Conner MacLeod came after Methos; he killed an entire 6-man sweeper team before they had a chance to react. Only the Sweeper War had saved the Centre from the Immortals when Raines captured Megan and Nightwind. The fact the War may have actually been initiated by Castalanos in order to facilitate their rescue had occurred to her before. Now there was nothing between the Centre and the anger of the Immortals.
Her cellphone rang. Wondering what new catastrophe beckoned, she answered. "Parker"
"Did I wake you?" Jared's voice filled her with deep longing.
"No. I was lying here in the dark wondering what life will be like after your friends finish with us tomorrow."
"What are you talking about?"
"The MacLeods are on their way and Methos is already here. The Centre has Amanda."
"The damn fools! I'm coming right now." The phone went dead in her hands. Jared was now on his way, too. All that was missing was the presence of Megan and Nightwind. She stared into the night skies, her thoughts on the war about to begin.
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Methos stepped out of the hanger as the business jet came to a stop. The cabin door opened and Duncan came down the steps holding his katana in one hand, a dark scowl on his face. Joe Dawson came out behind him saying, "Duncan, don't be such an asshole. We can't just charge off and crash through the front door."
Methos, chuckling at Dawson, walked up to Duncan, taking him in his arms. "Hi, asshole. Why don't we just go kill them all and be done with it?"
Duncan started to laugh at his outrageous friend and then swung about toward the hanger as another Immortal stepped out of the shadows. "Conner!" Duncan shouted, racing over to embrace his kinsman.
As the group gathered, a black Ford Expedition drove up with Parker behind the wheel. They all got inside, with Methos riding in the front next to Parker. "Does anyone remember where we went inside last time?" she asked and Methos replied that he did.
He gave her directions, taking her around behind the Centre's main access roads and into the adjoining National Park. As they drove down the firebreak, she noted that another vehicle had already been there before them. She mentioned it to Methos, who passed the word to the others. The group visibly relaxed when Jared stepped from the trees to greet them.
"I was wondering when you would all show up!" His eyes locked on Parker's as his hands held hers; the world seemed to fade away while they stared at one another.
"Look, I hate to intrude on this tender moment, but we do have things to do," Methos spoke quietly, the grim intent evident in his voice.
"I don't suppose we will need the blindfold this time," Jared said as he looked at Parker. "Do we know where in the Centre Amanda is being held?"
"Not yet. I'm expecting Broots to call with that information any time now." She held up her cellphone. "I have it set for vibrate rather than ring. No sense announcing our presence."
The group entered the cave system that served as Jared's private entrance to the bowels of the Centre, leaving Joe behind to guard the vehicles. While Dawson did not like it, he knew he would be a hindrance in the rescue operation. Each had their own thoughts and fears as they approached the coming confrontation, but uppermost in the Immortals' thoughts was the determination that this would be their last visit to Blue Cove, Delaware.
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The sweeper team had sedated Amanda while they waited for the Centre jet to arrive in Seacouver. Still wrapped in MacLeod's bedspread, it was just easier for them to keep her sedated once they had her on board. None of them knew anything about her other than their masters had wanted her captured and brought to Blue Cove, preferably without any witnesses. Dumping the body of the man she'd been with had eliminated the witness issue.
Landing only an hour behind the arrival of the Immortals, the team transferred their tranquilized cargo to a Centre vehicle and drove to the Centre's underground parking area. There, Amanda was transferred to a hospital gurney and taken down the elevator to sublevel 27, playground for Doctor Raines. Once there, Amanda was transferred to a standard hospital bed, placed into arm and leg restraints, and then her insensate naked body covered with a sheet. The Centre security camera captured every moment of it, and Broots monitored that security feed.
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"She's in SL27," Parker told Jared as she terminated the cellphone connection. "Raines' favorite place."
"That will work in our favor since there will be fewer people around, and those that are will be those working for Raines." Jared thought a moment. "The hard part will be getting down to that level without tripping any of the alarms."
"Why don't you take our friends down there while I see Broots. All Centre data about this must be destroyed and he's the geek to do it." Parker decided.
"I will go with Parker," Methos added. "Never can tell when an Immortal might be needed."
With that agreement, the group divided as they entered the complex at SL20. Jared led Duncan and Conner down through a maze of utility tunnels and air shafts while Parker took Methos up to the main floors. He stood with his back to the camera in the elevator as it moved upwards, bypassing all the unnamed levels of the Centre's mysterious operations. They reached Parker's office without encountering anyone and she summoned Broots.
As soon as the man entered her office, he was frozen with fear. He recognized the man standing beside Miss Parker and knew the man had a lot of experience with the Roman short sword cradled in his arms. There was no doubt in Broots mind that this man represented Death in its most ancient form.
"Get over here, Broots." Parker's voice snapped him from his reverie and he scurried over to her desk.
Reaching for her keyboard, he quickly called up the security camera covering the room in SL27 holding Amanda. "She is starting to regain consciousness as the drugs are flushed from her system." They watched in amazement as Amanda's semi-conscious body slowly faded from view, leaving only her outline under the sheet to betray her presence. Broots shifted the view from optical to thermal sensors and Amanda's body still glowed warmly.
"Oh, my God. I didn't know you could do that," Parker whispered, mesmerized by what she'd just witnessed.
"Me, either," said Methos. "But if Amanda was trouble before, now she will be impossible!"
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As Jared led the MacLeods into SL27, two sweepers moved into the corridor to intercept them. Both ancient katanas flashed in the fluorescent lighting and two hands holding weapons fell to the floor. "If you hurry, you might make it to the infirmary before you bleed out." Jared said to the two men clutching their truncated arms in an attempt to stem the flow of blood.
"We cannot promise to let them live, Jared," Duncan said as they moved further along the corridor. "We might kill a few if there is no time to me careful."
"Don't lose any sleep over it, Duncan. These men would not hesitate to kill us."
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Doctor William Raines had never seen anything like it in his entire checkered career. He looked from the thermal imaging monitor that showed the infrared pattern of a sleeping human being over to the apparently empty bed and the sheet that molded to the invisible human form underneath. "Incredible!" he wheezed, his emphysema riddled lungs struggling for air. "No wonder she eluded her pursuers."
The shrill bleat of intruder alarms rang throughout the sublevel, their loud reverberations rousing the somnolent Amanda. As Amanda regained her awareness, her body began to reappear. As Raines watched in fascination, she slowly regained full visibility. Only after she was completely visible did he recognize her from archive footage of the Sweeper War. With that recognition came the realization of just who and what the intruders were.
"We didn't know what you were when we took over from the Army. We only knew you'd lived through something you shouldn't have survived, and did so without any apparent injury." He gasped for air before continuing, "In retrospect, that should have alerted me to your special nature."
Amanda looked at the gnome-like doctor and said, "You do understand the man your men shot when they took me captive was Duncan MacLeod, another Immortal. He is undoubtedly on his way here now along with several others and they will not be in the mood to parley. Perhaps if you were to release me, things might go better for you."
Nodding at her words, Raines moved over to the restraints on her arms and unfastened them. As he moved aside the sheet covering her ankle restraints, he said, "I hope you will put in a good word. Let me get you something to put on."
As Raines moved towards the door, Amanda said, "I would stay right here, Doctor Raines. You really don't want to meet Duncan alone." The doctor blanched and moved back into the room, standing as far away from the door as he could get. Amanda sat up, wrapping the sheet around her, as she waited for her rescuers.
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Neither Broots nor Miss Parker was surprised by Doctor Raines' actions as they watched on the monitor. Broots had already initiated a worm to eradicate from the Centre computers any reference to the entire incident. Even the medical records for the two luckless sweepers had been altered to show they lost their hands in an industrial accident. The worm also established a system buried deep within the computers to notify Broots and Miss Parker should any reference to the Immortals ever be entered into the system. The system also watched for any reference to either of the MacLeods, Methos, Amanda, Joe Dawson, Megan Carson, and Nightwind. While not perfect, the system would be an early warning tripwire.
The two Centre employees leaned forward along with Methos as the monitor showed the entrance of the MacLeods. This should be good.
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Duncan and Conner came to a stop as they entered the room. Finding Amanda in calm discourse with Doctor Raines was not what they expected. Flashing her biggest smile at Duncan, Amanda greeted him. "Duncan, I don't know whether you've met Doctor Raines. He has been most apologetic about this. It seems he did not realize he was after one of us. Seems Conner's warning last time made a lasting impression. He was releasing me when you made your presence known."
Conner moved around the bed and brought his katana up under Raines' chin. "What did I tell you last time, Raines? Didn't I say not to make me come back?" The terrified expression in the man's face evidently satisfied Conner as he returned his sword to its sheath. That and the growing puddle under Raines' feet.
Amanda hopped down from the bed and took Duncan by the arm. "Shall we go home?" Spotting Jared in the hall, she exclaimed, "Why, Jared, it's so good to see you again!" Hooking her other arm through Jared's, Amanda led the two bemused men down the hall.
Conner turned back to Doctor Raines. "Next time I see you will be the last time, Doctor. I will chalk this up to a mistake this time. I will not forgive again." With a swirl of his duster coat, Conner stalked after his friends, leaving Raines alone in his shame.
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"One thing I do not understand," Jared said at dinner that night. "If your bodies heal all wounds, why didn't Amanda's body reject the effects of the radioactive biotoxins?"
Methos took a sip from his pilsner glass. "I think it did. That's why she's alive."
"But what about the invisibility?" Joe asked.
"Perhaps she has always been able to do that but just never had the right combination of events to trigger the ability." Methos speculated. "It maybe another facet of our nature that has not been used."
"All I know," Duncan interjected, "is the world is not ready for an invisible thief."
"Why do you keep calling her a thief?" Parker asked.
"Because I am, dear." Amanda admitted. "A very good one who is about to become much, much better at it."
END